title: Tool kit for screening otologic function of older adults1.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To propose a hearing health care tool kit, for use in primary care, that includes a new, comprehensive, and easy-to-administer self-report tool, namely, the Screening for Otologic Functional Impairments (SOFI). The target population for the proposed tool kit includes older adults with multimorbidity who are (a) at risk for hearing-related functional deficits and/or (b) likely to benefit from targeted audiologic interventions designed to optimize function, support independence, maximize safety, and cultivate self-sufficiency and social connectedness (American Academy of Nursing's Expert Panel on Acute and Critical Care, 2012).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine older adults with varying levels of hearing impairment drawn from 2 ear, nose, and throat clinics and 1 university clinic underwent hearing testing and completed a series of self-report tools designed to assess otologic function and depression. All of the participants completed the SOFI on 2 occasions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SOFI has high reliability and validity and the potential for identifying older adults requiring audiologic intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed tool kit, for use in primary care, includes several components that are integral to help-seeking behavior. The goal is to identify older adults with multimorbidity who are at risk for otologic conditions, that, once identified and treated, may help promote older adults' quality of care and life.
authors.affiliation: The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, NY, USA. bweinstein@gc.cuny.edu
authors.forename: Barbara E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: age-related hearing loss; multimorbidity; screening; self-report